THE FAMILY OF EXILES

RODZINA WYPĘDZONYCH

This is a story about a family which gathered a variety of experiences throughout the 20th century including displacement, expulsion, and being deprived of one’s roots. Despite the generation gaps and varying motivations, the members of each generation seem to follow a similar pattern, leave their homes around certain age. The oldest family member was sent to Siberia during WWII, his son left Poland for Israel in 1969; while his granddaughter decided to leave from Israel in order to study in the U.S. Farewells and returns intertwine as a constant motif in the family’s history. What effects can such accumulation of experience have? How did the family adjust to constant changes? What is worth taking with you if one is leaving home forever?

FILM REPRESENTED BY THE KRAKOW FILM FOUNDATION

  • Genre: Dokumentalny
  • Running time: 30
  • Year: 2008

Director: Grzegorz Brzozowski

DOP: Magdalena Kowalczyk

Editing: Eva Kaplon

Production company: Instytut im. Adama Mickiewicza, Transfax Film Production

About the director:

Grzegorz Brzozowski

Grzegorz Brzozowski

Grzegorz Brzozowski – graduated from documentary course at Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing, with teachers: Marcel Łozinski, Jacek Bławut, Vita Żelakeviciute. Studied sociology, psychology and reportage at University of Warsaw, Utrecht Universiteit and Yale University. Now working on a Ph.D. at the Institute of Sociology at University of Warsaw, conducting a research on modern festival communities in Poland. Apart from this works as an editor and chief of the film review section in “Kultura Liberalna” online weekly magazine.

At festivals:

East Silver Market 2009, Czech Republic, 2009 (screening)